whateverwatcher's Favorites

Easting some kind of small prey (152203201). Or, for this happy kestrel, fairly large prey I guess.
I saw a bird fly up into a tree and zoomed in. A bit surprised to see the kestrel. Couldn't really see what was going on, though. Somewhat far away (but closer that I usually see kestrels) and hard to get an unobstructed view.
I had been headed to an observation platform, and held up to get shots of the kestrel before moving closer. Definitely not expecting it to stay put, but it did. That made sense when was I finally able to see its prey; it wasn't going to risk losing that!
It was quite a windy day and the bird was fighting to keep its perch while dining.

My most interesting find of the day :)
I could not figure out what I was seeing in the field. I thought maybe it was carrying carrion (no pun intended). But it appeared to be trying to get it off... ?!
Blown up on the computer, it finally makes sense. I think this is the winner of a fight. It must have beheaded it's opponent. But - it's opponent's jaws are still locked on it's antenna! Sometimes two heads really are not better than one.
I wonder how this comes out.
Whether from that fight or others, this warrior has taken damage. It's missing parts of 2 legs (photo 2) and has a dent on the back of its head (photo 3).

Amazed to see this kestrel in hovercraft mode: flapping away and holding its position against the wind.
It flew off and I thought it was gone. Maybe, Idk. But I made another sighting (145943257) about 5 minutes later. Likely the same bird, but I can't be sure.

This sapling had so much cool stuff. Hikers kept passing me on their way out & back because I stayed there for so long. See

• A bolas spider!! (136983753)
• Several other spiders, but I only got pix of 2: 136992525, 136992535
• At least 3 species of leafhoppers: 136992531, 136992534, 136992536
• A whitefly: 136992537
• A mite: 136992523
• Caterpillars: 136992539
• Possible fungus spots: 136992540
• A tiny snail: 136992529

On Common Hackberry (133933134).
Eating a wasp (133933138) while an ant (133933140; photo 4) tried to scavenge another wasp (133933139) that the bug had killed.
I wondered how the assassin bug managed to get 2 wasps, apparently in a fairly short period of time. Could it have grabbed a mated pair? Between its natural green color and the way that it lurked where 2 leaves overlapped, it was well camouflaged. Uncomfortable with my attention, it retreated partway under the leaf but apparently couldn't pull the wasp under.
It's unclear whether the bug was done with the wasp which the ant was scavenging. A passerby asked me whether the bug would eat the ant, and I had to reply that I don't know. Surely it wouldn't drop the wasp it was eating, but once it was done... ? Having watched a group of ants overcome a different assassin bug (113186998), I'm not sure whether assassin bugs in general would consider the risk of going up against an ant worthwhile.

I was trying (and failing miserably) to photograph dragonflies on the wing. Guess I'd been pretty still for awhile. Looked down to my left and found this cutie! Not something I expected to see there and out in the open.
I was afraid to take time to change my camera settings, so the shots aren't very good. But I was able to get several shots as it hunted around and even seemed to bask for a moment.

I was crouched down, quietly trying to photograph odes. Then I realized there was a squirrel running towards me! When I turned the camera towards it, it decided to run away. Fortunately, it paused a moment for a couple of pix.

Had to skip ahead in my uploads to find out what this was. I still don't believe it.
Spotted this right away as I came into another area of the park. It was incredibly accommodating. Not just tolerating my presence, but quietly holding its ground when a ding-a-ling Blue Dasher (124207564) harassed it.
I struggle to believe finding a Jade here. But iNat is very consistent with its top suggestion for all photos. And it has the same laid-back attitude I saw when @jimlem introduced me to them at the odonata conference.
????!

Find of the day!!! Hard to get a clear shot; it mostly stayed in the grasses at the edge of the pond. When it strayed to the water, a Unicorn Clubtail (121059772) seemed to either be hunting it or driving it out of its territory.
I had no idea what it was, but had my fingers crossed that it might be something I hadn't seen before. Both excited and saddened to find it listed as imperiled in Ohio.

This little bird was trying to wean the cowbird chick (118863121) it was raising.
One lousy shot of it feeding the chick (photo 2), a better one of the chick begging (photo 3). and others of it standing hopefully by and even foraging a bit as the unwitting foster parent hunted and watched over it.

This really entertained me when I saw the pictures. It looks like the cormorant tells the grackle a joke (photo 2), then yuks it up (photo 3) while the grackle's expression shows that he was not amused.
(Anthropomorphizing, or course. And I cheated by reversing the actual order of the photos. But, fun 😁)
For the grackle: 118740409

Mind blown!
After never seeing one of these, I just saw my 2nd in as many days. At 2 different sites!
See 112480722 for prior observation. That one was at the top of a tree. I remember hunting for another - no luck - and wishing I could get better photos. Then today I see one on the bank of a creek, mudding in sunlight.
BAMONA said "forewing has inconspicuous metallic shading". And my previous observation has just a hint of patterning there.
But, whoa! This darling just shone. He answered some questions, too. I had wondered why some of iNat's photos showed a larger white patch with 2 dark lines in it. Oh, that's the ventral!

Babies seem to be doing well!
For background see 111054153 and linked observations.
I'm approximating the age as 4-5 weeks per this guide from the International Owl Center

I saw these little cuties earler with a Ring-necked duck (107681278). But I got better pix now. Just loved the way the sun shone thru the male's hood. There were 2 pair.

This remains one of my favorite sightings ever. (Like you couldn't tell from how many pictures I included!)
I almost went right by a group of mallards (107344310), but something made me look again. There she was, quietly thinking mallard thoughts and projecting "nothing to see here... move along".
She seemed confident among the mallards and allowed me to approach. I moved slowly and quietly, staying behind the bushes, and paid attention to her attitude. And she let me get close enough for decent pix!
I can't find any more pix of her, although there must be some. I hope someday I find a missing chip with them.
I don't remember how many days she stayed. I do remember that after that day she arrived, she was diving and hunting. She stayed far out in the pond and didn't hang around with the mallards any more.

These photos span about 11 minutes.
The heron had caught a fish, but moved quite a ways before attempting to eat. (Photos 1-2.) Finding shallower water where its meal couldn't escape as easily if dropped?
A bit of tossing to get the fish positioned head-down (photo 3), then the process of forcing it down (#4-5). Photo 6 shows a big lump in the heron's neck! Then it's down (photo 7) and a little drink to follow (#8). The heron seemed to explore a little (photo 9) and then decided that the area was getting a little too busy and flew off (#10).
(I didn't post the fish as it was likely stocked and not naturally occurring.)

There are things I feel like I will remember forever. At least, I hope so.
I was walking up a commercial sidestreet when I saw a killdeer crossing right-to-left ahead of me. Trying not to disturb it, I altered course to make a wide arc to my right away from it. At that, the bird suddenly reversed and came running back to the right. I stopped, wondering what was up - and spied movement to my right.
There they were; the most adorable little fluffballs! Their mom had been trying to draw me away from them.
Here, the mama.
For her precious babies: 106418619

There are things I feel like I will remember forever. At least, I hope so.
I was walking up a commercial sidestreet when I saw a killdeer crossing right-to-left ahead of me. Trying not to disturb it, I altered course to make a wide arc to my right away from it. At that, the bird suddenly reversed and came running back to the right. I stopped, wondering what was up - and spied movement to my right.
There they were; the most adorable little fluffballs! Their mom had been trying to draw me away from them.
Here, the babies.
For their mama: 106418618
(Not the greatest shots; I circled left and walked on a ways to give the family some space before turning to shoot from a distance. The sun was low and the shifting light challenged my limited skills. I didn't want to spend a lot of time stressing them, either.)

Two something-or-others seemed to be interacting, with one (or both) attacking or chasing the other off repeatedly. After watching and shooting pix for awhile, I believe that an L. canis was the aggressor, with the other individual a wasp. Idk whether the robber actually had ambitions to eat the wasp, hoped to steal any prey the wasp found, or simply wanted the wasp out of its territory.
Cool to watch, anyway. Here, the wasp. (Both seen in photo 2. Robber: 95210286.)
I thought that I was seeing the acarinarium full of mites in some shots, so I looked for the best match in Parancistrocerus. If wrong, please help.

I was entranced by this beautiful creature. And later, disappointed by its name!
It seems that our relationship with insects is based largely on our stomachs. I.e., does it threaten our food?
This moth needs a new name and an image makeover!

Thrilled to see one of these! It looked like a living gummy candy. So adorable; also hard to do justice to in a photo.
Even with its extreme cuteness, I still think it looks like a cartoon villain plotting something when it rises up with its legs pressed together.
On willow (105574020).

Tentative ID; assumed present if this ladybird (105237916) was killed by. Dinocampus coccinellae (105237918).
Improvement welcomed.

No way to tell how many individuals are represented by the photos from this date. Durn things didn't sit still!
At this location there are typically a lot of Palm Warblers and Myrtle Warblers. Sometimes more of one than the other. This was definitely a Palm hike.
(No, I didn't post every photo I took.)
Love the levitation effect! ✨
(Landing, I assume.)

On 104502321.
iNat is pretty sure Halictus, so I'm probably wrong. But... furry fovea !? And I can't convince myself that the basal vein is 'strongly arched'.
If it's Andrena, there seem to be limited late fliers. Of the observations I found for Ohio, this seems the best match. And the food plant fits. So, I'm going with it.
Improvement welcomed.

I was intrigued by the splotch on the right side of the scutum. Maybe just dirt, or could it be a parasite? It certainly has dimension. (See photo 5.)

Found this guy newly emerged, over time the wings unfurled and the color changed from reddish-brown to black. The little yellow halteres were wiggling constantly the whole time. It probably took about four hours to turn dark after we found it, but the following morning it was still in the same area just hanging out.

I think.
Although I have seen this species before, I wasn't able to get decent pix this time.
I was visiting family, out on a deck 1 story off the ground and looking up into a tree at the edge of a woods. Saw a blob on a leaf and thought 'I should look at that'. Oh yes indeed!
The angles I could get were limited by the width of the deck, and my camera showed its usual frustrating preference for leaves.
When I've seen these before, they've been between 4" and about 7' off the ground. Of course, I wouldn't ordinarily be looking this high, or able to see it even this well.
Naturally, I tried to drag my relatives out to see it. They were unimpressed. Maybe I was switched at birth?

I love you, crazy-eyed little flies!
Not the ones I came looking for that day, but very satisfying to find. I've only seen this species once before, and didn't get good shots then. There were 2 mated pair on this plant!
Maybe it was the cooler weather, maybe it was because they were mating, Idk. But they stayed put and let me get lots of photos!
On 98766190.

Thank You, Lord, for letting me see your creation!!
I've looked for these and never seen one. Out of the blue, I checked out a brown something in the goldenrod and just about lost it.
I love you, crazy little fly!

Jumping ahead in my uploads, but I had to try to find out what this was!
It landed as you see it, a bit ahead of me on a raised trail between 2 wetland areas. I might not have seen it otherwise. It was above my head and obscured by the foliage. I got what I could, then tried to slowly creep towards it to get a less-obscured view. No luck - it took off 😒
I really looked on my way back thru the area and even went back the next day - no luck 😢

There was an insect I was about to try to photograph. I have no idea what it was, because as I raised the camera - plop! This anole dropped down, probably after that insect. It missed. I didn't. What a cutie!

I was trying to get a better angle on some dancers, and had to watch my footing as I was at the edge of a small dropoff above the creek. Looked down, and whoa! No clue what it was, except something I hadn't seen before. It was perched in the rocks of the beach at creek level. Worked around it carefully to try to get decent angles.

iNat is pretty sure Richardiidae.
Fly guide gives me Diopsidae. It looks so much like one of the examples that I wonder if it might be closely related!

iNat isn't sure of anything, but offers up Rivellia. Everything there seems to have prominently striped wings and dark or banded legs. My little critter has spots or perhaps light/ broken stripes on its wings and nicely golden legs. I used BugGuide's advanced search for Tephritoidea and found nothing to match. Based on the fly guide, I came back down to Platystomatidae for my best guess/ starting place.
Yes, I loaded a lot of pix. This fascinated me and even creeped me out a bit. The mouth reminds me of a scene in one of The Mummy movies where Rick (Fraser) roars at one of Imhotep's mummy priests and it roars back with that impossibly huge mouth. 'Nope!'
Photos 6 & 7 are truly sequential. Compare the abdomen tip to photo 3. Something begins to extend (6) and is more fully extended (7), with some dark liquid deposited on the leaf. Not sure if it's just defecating or maybe ovipositing. Whatever it was up to, it was unusually cooperative with my photo efforts.

Completely lost it when I saw this tiny perfect creature. Couldn't believe that I was getting to see one. And then it flew off! But fortunately landed again nearby, and patiently allowed me to get the Raynox on it. Honestly not sure whether those pix (1&2) are better or worse than the others. I just love this little one and want all the pictures and more!

Got to see and learn about this amazing tiny plant (and quite a few other plants!) thanks to @wetlandfan.
Couldn't see what I was shooting very well; unfortunately a lot of the views are obstructed. But I was blown away to be able to see the 'dew', the beautiful colors, and some of the things which appeared to be captured in its sticky fingers (photos 3-5).

Could only get this view - and from a distance.
I gave it the full width of the trail and tried to slowly work around it for another view. But it would have none of that, and flew off. Couldn't find it again.
With the heavy patches of Whiltetails and small gathering of pondhawks, why couldn't there be a clubtail section vs. just one?!

So grateful to get these photos. I know they're not great, but if you'd seen my only other sightings (63514011, 64749227) you'd understand my excitement. I actually got the whole bird! (Photo 3.)
The bird appeared to be fiddling with leaves/ twigs vs. food. It was a very cooperative subject. The overcast day, my point & shoot camera, and my lack of skill are to blame for photo quality.

A gift from God. Not kidding.
I got an intriguing blur, followed the movement and shot again. Honestly not even sure that I was the one controlling my hands in that moment. Almost couldn't believe my eyes when the camera brought up the images. Said a prayer of thanks for the beautiful things all around me.
My last find of the walk, with the rain getting a bit more serious and a thunderstorm moving into the area. Not sure this shot would have happened against a clear sky.
What a way to end the day!!!